Combination furniture



Jan. 22, 1957 M. ,w. SMITH 2,778,034

COMBINATION FURNITURE Filed Oct. 26, 1950 4 Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. MARGARET WILLIAMS SMITH ATTORNEY.

Jan. 22, 1957 M w, SMITH 2,778,034

COMBINATION FURNITURE Filed Oct. 26, l950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 MARGARET WILLIAMS SMITH ATTORNEY.

Jan. 22, 1957 M. w. SMITH COMBINATION FURNITURE;

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 26, 1950 INVENTOR. MARGARET WILLIAMS SMITH ATTORNEY.

Jan. 22, 1957 Filed Oct. 26, 1950 FIG."

M. w. SMITH 2,778,034

COMBINATION FURNITURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 E Q b.

[Q Q I I Ll.

/ Q LO INVENTOR. MARGARET WILLIAMS SMITH ATTORNEY.

United States Patent COMBINATION FURNITURE Margaret Williams Smith, Pasadena, Calif. Application October 26, 1950, Serial No. 192,242

1 Claim. (Cl. 2)

This invention rel-ates to a combination piece of furniture having wide usefulness in a bedroom or in an equivalent portion of a small apartment or the like. It may aptly be designated a lifetime item of furniture.

A primary object of the invention has been to provide a simple, inexpensive and durable piece of furniture which is particularly adapted for initial use in the care of a small baby but is of utility throughout the life of the person for whom it was intended.

Another object of the invention has been to provide an item of furniture which is adapted to meet substantially all of the requirements, from the furniture and special accessory standpoint, of an infant from substantially the time of its birth until it is a year old or even somewhat older.

A further object of the invention has been to provide an item of furniture of the character indicated which is of utility throughout the life of the infant for whom it was purchased of which may be utilized, with the full advantages of all of its features, for a number of successive infants. The item contemplated by the invention is particularly suited for use by families having relatively small homes, such as those provided in relatively small apartments or houses. It is adapted to provide, in a relatively small space, all of the conveniences and comforts which normally require considerably greater space.

An important feature of the invention is the provision, in a single unit requiring a relatively small amount of room space, of a convenient place for the storage of all items of apparel required by a young infant and all items necessary to the proper care of the infant including a comfortable and suitable crib with its accessories and facilities for bathing the infant, and the like, during at least the first year of its life.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a unit of the character indicated which is durable and capable of conversion with a minimum of difficulty into an item of furniture which may be used to advantage throughout the life of a person and which will continually constitute an attractive piece of furniture.

A special feature of the invention is the provision, in a unit of the character indicated, of a member which may be used not only as an enclosure for a regular crib for an infant but also as an enclosure for a portable crib, adapted to be readily transported in functioning condition in an automobile or the like, and also may be used as an enclosure for a play pen as the infant grows older.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the detailed description of an illustrative form of the invention which will now be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a piece of furniture embodying the invention, the top crib construction being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the doors of the cabinet swung open and laid flat against the sides of the cabinet;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the piece of furniture with the 2,778,034 Patented Jan. 22, 1957 top broken away in part to disclose some of the interior construction and with a slide member indicated in broken lines in its extended position;

, :Fig. 4 is .a vertical sectional view through the cabinet taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the cabinet taken along the line 55 of Fig. 3;

' Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, through a portion of the upper part of the cabinet, taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a detail view in vertical section, also on a somewhat enlarged scale, taken along the line 7-7 of Fig. 6 and showing a portion of the tub and tray which form part of the invention;

Fig. 8 is a front elevational View of the upper portion of the cabinet showing one form of crib structure applied thereto;

Fig. 9 is a side elevational View of the tub drawer;

Fig. 10 is a front view of a portion of the tub drawer and the supporting means therefor;

Fig. 11 is an elevational view of a hingedly connected crib structure, in extended form, which may be employed in connection with the invention;

'Fig. 12 is a plan view of the extended crib structure of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the same crib structure arranged and connected to form a rectangular enclosure;

Fig. 14 is a top plan view of the crib structure in collapsed or folded condition for storage.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the illustrative piece of furniture comprises a cabinet designated generally at 10, which may be of any suitable, sturdy but attractive construction and formed of any suitable material. Preferably it is formed of wood of any character commonly employed in the production of good furniture. The cabinet has a Hat top 11 disposed at a suitable elevation above the floor. It should be so positioned that an infant may readilybe placed within a crib structure applied to such top in the manner to be hereinafter explained. A height of about 40 inches has been found most suitable. The bottom 12 of the cabinet carries a plurality of brackets 13, constituting feet or legs each adapted to receive the shank of a caster 13a arranged to swivel in any direction as the cabinet is shifted about the floor. Preferably the arrangement is such that the length of the legs 13 or the extent to which the shanks of the casters are inserted therein may be varied so that the overall height of the cabinet above the floor may be correspondingly varied to conform with the requirements of the person by whom the piece of furniture is to be'used.

The-cabinet comprises side walls 14 and 15, a rear wall 16, and hinged doors l7 and 18 at the front. These doors are mounted on hinges 19 provided at the top and bottom of theyertical edges of the doors and at the forward edges of the sides 14 and 15. The'hinges are preferably of such a type as to permit the doors to be swung through an angle of 270 so that they may be laid flat against the sides 14 and 15 when the doors are opened, as shown in Fig. 2. Handles 20, of anysuitable form, are provided on the doors for swinging them. Intermediate the side walls 14 and 15 there is provided a vertical partition 21 which serves to divide the space within the cabinet into two sections above the level of a horizontally disposed floor member 22. At the left side of the partition 21 (Fig. 2) a plurality of slidable drawers 25, 26 and 30 are provided. Drawers 25 and 26 may be of conventional construction and supported in any suitable way, adapted to prevent binding as the drawers are drawn out or pushed into the cabinet. Hand holes 27 may beprovided at the front of each of these drawers to permit grasping of the same for opening and closing be secured to the inner face of the door 18.

them. These drawers may be used for the storing of an infants clothing and accessories and, as the infant grows, may be used forthe storage of any items of clothingand the like desired. The spaceat the right of the partition 21 maybe used as a wardrobesection for retaining dresses and the like to be worn by. the'infant and, as the infantgrows oldento retain other items. 4 .One or more bars 28 may be suitably supported at their opposite ends by the side wall and partitionll to carry clothes hangersjor the like. Bars 29, adapted to carry towels or other items of wearing apparel, may Beneath the flooring 22 a space is provided for a slide drawer 23 having a front face which extends completely across the width of the cabinet and from the lower edge of the bottom 12 to the top edge of the flooring This drawer, provided with suitablehandles 2,4 for opening and closing the same, may beused to retain a mattress,

" blankets and other bedding of any desired character for the crib, to be hereinafter described. As the infant outgrows the crib, the drawer 23 may be used for the storage of any other items, such as clothing or the like.

Above the upper drawer 2s a third drawer 34), of special construction, is provided, this being so mounted as to enable it to be pulled out to substantially the full limit of its length without danger of tipping. For this purpose, the drawer 3!) may be mounted in a manner similar to a heavy filing cabinet drawer. The supporting means may include, for example, a slide 31 (Figs. 4, 9 and 10) extending substantially-the full length of the drawer along each side of the same. These slides may be retained by suitable guide rails 32 secured to the wall 14 and the partition 21, respectively, in a manner permitting the slides to be freely shifted outwardly to the extent of about half of their length. Each slide has an equal movement with respect to the drawer and for this purpose may be retained between guide rails 53 provided along the adjacent side of the drawer above and below the slide. Suitable rollers 31a, 32a and 33a may be provided, respectively, on the slide 31 and the guide rails 32 and 33, at the points indicated in Fig. 4, to facilitate the relative sliding of the various parts. These may be positioned differently and additional rollers may be employed, if desired, to provide for easy shifting of the drawer. The arrangement is such that when the drawer is pulled out to its maximum extent, with its rear edge substantially in line with the front face of the cabinet, it is still sturdily supported in a horizontal position by the cooperation of the slides 31 with the several guide rails. Suitable stops may be provided, if desired, for limiting the extent of outward movement of the slides 31 and the drawer. These stops may be pivotally mounted, in a well known manner, to permit complete removal of the drawer whenever desired. The slides, guide rails and associated parts may be formed of either steel or wood, as-desired. A hand hole 34 in the front wall of the drawer facilitates shifting of the same inwardly and outwardly.

Within the drawer there is mounted a removable tub 35 which may be formed of enameled metal or a suitable plastic or the like. This tub is intended for the bathing of the infant and is positioned at a convenient height for this purpose. It may, if desired, extend the full length of the drawer 39, as indicated in Fig. 4, and also the full width of the drawer, as indicated in Fig. 6. A flange surrounding the upper edge of thetub is adapted to rest upon the upper edges of the walls of the drawer. If desired, the tub may be less than the full length of the drawer and may be adapted to be shifted'freely longitudinally of the drawer. In either case, it is arranged to be freely lifted from the drawer whenever desired to empty its contents and to clean it. Suitable hand holes or handles may be provided on the supporting flanges for this purpose, if desired.

At the forward .end of the tub there is mounted, within the-same, a removable tray '36 which extends completely across the width of the tub and preferably has flanges at two ends adapted to rest upon the corresponding flanges of the tub. If the tub is shorter than the length of the drawer the tray 36 may, if desired, be carried directly by the drawer in front of the tub. In either case, the tray is adapted to be removed when the infant is to be bathed. For this purpose any suitable handles or other lifting means may .be provided on the tray. A bail may, for example,'be pivotally attached to the opposite ends of the tray and may be adapted to fold against the upper edge of the tray when not in use. if the tray is positioned in front of the tub the latter will be shifted to the front of the drawer upon removal of the tray. Suitable vertically disposed partitions 37 are preferably provided in the tray to divide the same into compartments for conveniently retaining bottles and the like in upright position. The tray illustrated in Fig. 3 has six compartments for bottles or other containers carrying materials desired in the course of bathing the infant. At the right end of the tray 36 (Figs. 3 and 6) a separately removable shallow tray 38 is provided. This also has suitable flanges at its upper edge adapted to rest upon the edges of the to y 36. It may be subdivided by a veritcal partition 39 into two compartments one of which may be used to retain a cake of soap and another a supply of pins or the like. Beneath the shallow tray-38 a space ill is provided in the main tray 36 and this may be used as a general utility compartment. Any items incident to'the bathing of the infant may be placed in this compartment. 7

To facilitate further the bathing of the infant, a slide board il may be provided beneath the top 11 of the cabinet. This, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, may be supported for sliding movement by guide rails 42 secured to the under face of the top 11. A handle 43 is provided to facilitate outward movement of the slide into the broken line position indicated in Fig. 3. A suitable abutment should be provided on the slide at its inner end to prevent complete removal of it from the cabinet without the performance of some special operation, such as the release of a latch or the like. It will be apparent that the slide 41 provides a convenient surface for the placing of the tray 36 when the latter is removed from the tub and it provides a convenient surface for the placing of the infant after it has been bathed and while it is being dried.

At the top of the cabinet there is detachably mounted a crib structure which may assume any of a variety of different forms. As shown in Figs. 11, 12, 13 and 14, the crib may be formed by a plurality of hingedly connected sections 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 and 49 each of which may be of any appropriate form providing for free circulation of air and visibility. Each section may consist of a rectangular frame enclosing and retaining a screen-like element or a grille or a plurality of slats or the like. Sections 45 and .8 are of a length substantially equal to the depth of the cabinet, while each of the remaining sections is of a length substantially equal to half the width of the cabinet. Sections 45, 46, 47 and 48 may be connected one to the other by so-called piano hinges or any other suitable type of binge permitting these members to be folded flat against each other as indicated in Fig. 14 when the crib is not assembled on the cabinet. Members 44 and 49 are preferably connected with their adjacent sections 45 and 48, respectively, by a type of hinge indicated at 59, which will permit relative pivotal movement between the connected parts through an angle of 270, but not more. This insures against inward flexing of the sections 44 and 49 when the crib enclosure is assembled as shown in Fig. 13 and, at the same time, permits the folding of these end sections against the adjacent sections when desired, as indicated in Fig. 14. Any suitable fastening means, such as a book 51 carried by one of the sections 44 and 49, adapted to cooperate with a pin or eyelet carried by the other of these members, may be provided to lock the parts together when they are assembled inflthe manner indicated in Fig. 13. A plurality of such fastening meansmay be provided, if

desired, to render the construction more sturdy. For retaining the crib structure on the top of the cabinet 3. series of dowel pins 52 may be provided at the lower ends of the several hinges interconnecting the various sections of the crib. These dowel pins may fit into metal socket members 53 (Fig. 3) provided at the top 11 of the cabinet. The fit of the dowels within the sockets may be sufiiciently tight to prevent accidental removal and to require a substantial upward lifting force to disengage them. However, if desired, any suitable latching means may be employed for insuring against the accidental lifting of the crib from the cabinet top. Such means may, for example, be simply in the form of a book 54 (Fig. 8) pivotally connected with the lower portion of the crib section and adapted to engage a pin 55 projecting from the edge of the top 11. Any suitable number of such latching means may be provided around the crib structure. Fig. 8, incidentally, discloses a modified arrangement for mounting the crib structure on the cabinet top. It involves simply a plurality of plate-like elements 56 secured to the lower edges of the sections of the enclosure at suitably spaced points and adapted to cooperate with the edges of the cabinet top. Suitable looplike sockets may be provided along the various edges of the cabinet top, if desired, to receive and retain the plate elements 56. However, these are not essential as the crib structure itself is of a relatively rigid character when assembled in the rectangular form indicated in Fig. 11.

In lieu of having the several sections of the crib permanently connected by hinge means to form a single continuous member as shown in Figs. 11 to 14 inclusive, each side of the crib structure may, if desired, be formed as a separate element which may be detachably connected by suitable latching means to the adjacent members. The latching means for this purpose may be of the hook type or the sliding bolt type or the like. When the separate crib sections are employed and it is desired to make one removable, to facilitate placing the infant in the crib or removing it from the crib, a suitable bar or the like should be provided to interconnect the upper free edges of the two side sections from which the one is removed. This bar may be provided at any suitable point along said free edges but preferably just above the section that is removed.

It will be understood that the crib will be provided with a suitable mattress and padding and other bedding which may, when not in use, be kept in the drawer 23.

While a preferred form of the invention has been disclosed in considerable detail and various modifica tions have been suggested, it will be understood that various other changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the general principles and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A piece of furniture which comprises a cabinet having enclosed storage space for clothing and the like, said cabinet having floor engaging casters and having a flat top about waist-high above the floor, a drawer in said cabinet just beneath said top thereof, a removable tub in said drawer, means for supporing said drawer for slidable movement from a position within said cabinet to a position partially outside of said cabinet and in which the outside part of said tub is clear of the top of said cabinet, said last mentioned means being arranged to prevent tipping of said drawerwhen in said partially outside position thereof, a separately removable tray within said tub, a slatted enclosure mounted on the top of said cabinet and extending about shoulder high, said enclosure having four interconnected side members, and being open at the top thereof to form a crib, one of the sides of said enclosure being shiftable to provide ready access to the interior thereof, said shiftable side of said enclosure being arranged to face said top when said top is clear of said cabinet whereby an infant may be shifted directly between said tub and said crib, and means for detachably retaining said enclosure on the top of said cabinet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES-PATENTS 356,401 Dils Ian. 18, 1887 439,666 Kurtz Nov. 4, 1890 1,082,082 Jiranek Dec. 23, 1913 1,127,139 West Feb. 2, 1915 1,231,291 Otte June 26, 1917 1,333,909 Firestone Mar. 16, 1920 1,338,034 Nickels Apr. 27, 1920 1,391,566 Musselman Sept. 20, 1921 1,409,330 Aper Mar. 14, 1922 1,646,521 Benson Oct. 21, 1927 1,827,687 McCandless Oct. 13, 1931 2,280,913 Hummel et al Apr. 28, 1942 2,524,099 Curr et al. Oct. 3, 1950 2,533,983 Weigle et al. Dec. 12, 1950 2,632,186 Berk et al. Mar. 24, 1953 

